Sunday, 23 October 2011

I've been working on some of the scenic details, painting up more Dark
Eldar stuff and experimenting with snow effects (more on that later).
This is still very much a work in progress, some of the elements are
unfinished and their positioning may well change as things develop.

The skulls and trophies are from the Dark Eldar Ravager and Talos kits.
The large skull on the ground is from the Tomb Kings Warsphinx. I've had
a lot of fun painting them. Doing one every now and again and spending
an indecent amount of time on it!

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

I’ve been posting pictures of the Dark Eldar
Diorama on the Cool Mini forums. One very useful piece of feedback from Matt Cexwish (see his jaw droppingly fabulous minis HERE) encouraged me to have
a go at using garden soil (yes plain old dirt!) to add some texture to the
diorama. I had my doubts as to how this would turn out so I tried out the
technique on a sample piece.

My suspicions could not have been more
unfounded and I’m a total convert! I really love the texture you get through
using soil and superglue. Here are a few pics of the effect on the diorama after
painting.

The tutorial for using garden soil can be found
HERE on Massive Voodoo.

I’ve also put in a lot of time adding more
Dark Eldar detailing to the diorama this week. Here is a teaser of what’s to
come.

Monday, 3 October 2011

I can’t think of another mini
painting/modeling project where I’ve had to revisit my ideas and rework things
quite so much! But I’m glad that I’ve persevered as the new base for my diorama is giving
me the positive buzz for this project that’s been missing for a while.

For sure there is a lot to do (the minis
not the least!) but this time it feels like I’ve got the tone and composition
right for what I’m trying to achieve. I’ve set up a production line for icicles
and have started testing out some options for snow. There are more Dark Eldar
bits and bobs to add but I will be doing this cautiously and as a part of the
overall composition. I don’t want to go overboard with the hooks and chains!

So here is the Diorama base as it currently
stands. The elements are now all
sculpted and assembled, bulk of the painting is done bar a few highlights and
I’ve begun to build up some of the scenic details.

Who is Sproket?

I’m a Graphic Designer and Illustrator, now retired, who has become a full time hobbyist. With the exception of a few years where I dropped out of the hobby I’ve been painting minis since I was in my teens. Over the years I've won a few trophies for my painting and four Slayer Swords but my quest to grow and develop as a painter continues - there is always something new to learn!